Bar cutter



July 14, 1931. R EDWARDS 1,814,790

BAR CUTTER Filed Dec. 22, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1471mm jeioa Jul14,1931. RAEDWARDS. 1,814,790

BAR CUTTER Filed Dec. 22, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I; 5 i 22 1101 06" A? wiffjifowuy Patented July 14, 1931 STATES Units REID A. EDWARDS, F ALBERTLEA, MINNESOTA BAR CUTTER Application filed December 22, 1930. SerialNo. 503,903.

My present invention relates to bar cutting shears and has for itsobject to increase the efficiency thereof by improving its constructionand action. Said invention further provides such shears that can bemanufactured at a relatively small cost and of such weight that they areeasily handled and transported from one place to the other.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the noveldevices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the bar cutter with the upper portion of theoperating lever re moved;

Fig. 2 is a right side elevation of the bar cutter with some partsbroken away;

Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the bar cutter and diagrammaticallyillustrating by means of broken lines a bar to be cut thereby;

Fig. 41 is a view partly in right side elevation and partly inlongitudinal vertical section taken on the line 4:4 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are views principally in transverse vertical sectionstaken on the lines 5 5 and 66, respectively, of Fig. 2.

The numeral 7 indicates a cast metal base or frame. A fixed cuttingknife 8 is removably mounted on the frame 7 at the front end thereof anda cooperating relatively movable cutting knife 9 is detaohably securedto a heavy jaw 10 pivoted on a fixed horizontal nut-equipped bolt 11intermediate of its ends to turn about the axis thereof. The bolt 11 ismounted at its end portions in aligned holes in a vertical tie-plate 12and the frame 7. Said tie-plate 12 below the jaw 10 is rigidly securedto the frame 7 by three nut-equipped bolts 13 surrounded by short bosseson said frame against which the tie-plate 12 directly bears. A singlebolt 14 connects the tieplate 12 above the aw 10 to the frame 7 andextends through aligned holes therein. The head of the bolt 14 impingesagainst the outer face of the tie-plate 12 and a pair of opposi g nuts15 on the bolt 14.: impinge against opposite faces of the frame 7 andrigidly connect said bolt thereto.

A horizontal tie-bar 16 connects the pivot bolt 11 to a pivot bolt 17for an operating lever, as will presently appear, and which bolt extendsthrough aligned holes in the vertical sides of the bifurcated rear endportion of the frame 7. The tie-bar 16 is inter posed between the headof the bolt 11 and tieplate 12 and said bolt extends through a holetherein. The tie-bar16 at its rear end bears directly against a shortsquare boss on the right side of the frame 7 and the bolt 17 extendsthrough a hole in said bar with its head impinging against the outerface thereof.

Formed with the aw 10 is a rear lever extension 18 having on its rearend a segmental ratchet 19 the center of which is at the axis of thepivot bolt 11 and the teeth thereof are indicated by the numeral 20. Itwill be noted, by reference to Figs. 1, 4: and 5 that the leverextension 18 and ratchet 19 are entirely out of contact with the frame 7and that only the jaw 10 has a working fit between said frame andtie-plate 12.

An adjustable abutment 21 for the lever extension 18 is provided to holdthe upper knife 9 parallel to the lower knife 8 during cutting strainsby preventing horizontal angular movement of the jaw 10 on the pivotbolt 11 or horizontal angular movement of said bolt in respect to theframe 7 under lateral force produced on said bolt by the jaw 10 duringcutting action. This abutment 21 is on the frame 7 and the left-handside of the lever extension 18 has direct contact therewith at alltimes. Said abutment 21, as shown, is in the form of a head on a screw22 which extends transversely through the frame 7, has threadedengagement therewith and is operable from the left side of said 7 frame.A lock-nut 23 is applied to the screw 22. The left side of the leverextension 18 has rubbing contact with the abutment 21 substantiallydirectly back of the pivot bolt 11 and holds said extension againstlateral movement toward the frame 7 that would tend to permit an angularmovement of the lwVeble knife 9 in re pest t9 the fee 199111 8 duringcutting action. To keep the lever extension 18 in contact with theabutment 21 at all times the same is provided with a depending extension24, see Fig. 2.

Cooperating with the ratchet teeth 20 and gravity-held in contacttherewith is a driving pawl 25 loosely and pivotally mounted on the hub26 of a socket member 27 for alever 28. The hub 26 is mounted on thepivot bolt 17 to turn about the axis thereof and the pawl 25 iseccentrically attached to said hub. Said hub 26 has a segmental bottomsurface, concentric with the pivot bolt 17, which loosely rests in acorrespondingly formed seat 29 on the frame 7 between the sides thereof,see Fig. 4. By thus mounting the hub 26 directly on the frame 7 alllifting strains are taken from the pivot bolt 17, during movement of thepawl 25 by the lever 28 to lift the rear end of the lever extension 18by its engagement with one of the ratchet teeth 20 and thereby move theknife 9 toward the knife 8 to produce a cutting action.

Cooperating with the ratchet 19 is a dog 30 for holding the leverextension 18 when the pawl 25 is re racted to en age the next fol lowingtooth 20 during cutting action. The dog 30 is directly below the pawl 25and is loosely pivoted on a fixed nut-equipped bolt 31 mounted in thesides of the frame 7, and the tie-bar 18. Formed with the right-handside of the dog 30 intermediate of its ends is a laterally projectingheaded stud 32- which works in a slot 33 in the right side of the frame7. This stud 32 b T its en agement with the frame 7, at the rear end'ofthe slot 33, limits the movement of the dog to an in operative positionaway from the ratchet teeth 20.

It is important to note that the relative positions of the pawl 25 anddog 30 are such that when said dog is moved into an inoperative positionit engages the pawl 25 and moves the same therewith into an inoperativeposit-ion and thus holds the same as long its dog 30 is in aninoperative position.

A control for the lock dog 30 in the form of a bar 3% is pivoted at oneend to the stud 32 between its head and the right side of the frame 7.On the pivoted end of the control bar 3% is a shoulder 35 arranged toengage the pivot bolt 31 as a stop and hold said bar against pivotalmovement and in a forwardly inclined position indicated by broken linesin 4t. The weight of the control bar 34 when in its dotted line positionholds the dog 30 in engagement with the engaged ratchet tooth 20. Duringthe lifting movement of the ratchet 19 by the pawl 25 the dog 30 ridesover said th and the weight of. the control bar 34 :eeps said dogtightly pressed against said teeth.

A lat-ch for holding the control bar 3-l with the lock dog 30 in itsinoperative position neludes a transverse lock n0tch 36 formed-in saidbar, intermediate of its ends, a short radial pin 37 on the socketmember 27 on which the control bar 34 loosely rests with the pin 37extending into the lock-notch 36, see Fig. 2. With the control bar 34and socket member 27 connected it rearward movement of the lever 28 willrelease the dog 30 from the engaged ratchet tooth 20. This movement ofthe do 30 en 'a es the Jawl 25 and car-- ZD Z3 23 the dog 30 inoperativewhich, in turn, rests thereon under the action of gravity so that whensaid dog is released and returned to normal osition the pawl 25 willautomatically ret r 0 normal or operative position.

The control bar also performs another important function, when holdingthe pawl and dog 30 inoperative, and that is it holds the lever in anupright position when the same is out of the way and can be convenientlyreached when next operated to actuate the pawl 25.

The downward movement of the lever extension 18 is limited andpositioned, with the lower end of its ratchet 19 above the floor andwhere the pawl 25 will engage the uppermost ratchet tooth 20, by a shortlaterally projecting stud 38 on the left-hand side of the ratchet 20 andarranged to engage the top of the frame 7, see Figs. 1 and 2.

The lever xtension 18 is provided with a handle 39 which extendsparallel to the stud 38 and thereabove so that there is room for thehand between said handle and the frame 7. By means of the handle thelever extension 18 may be held and lowered when the pawl 25 and dog 30are released from the ratchet 19.

The frame 7 and tie-plate 12 limits the lateral movement of a bar X,diagrammatically illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 3, between theknives 8 and 9.

During cutting action the bar X rests on the lower knife 8 and is heldagainst tilting movement by avertically adjustable abutment 4:0 mountedon the frame 7 to overlie said bar.

Obviously, when the control bar 34 is connected to the socket member 27by the latch 3637, see Fig. 2, the lever 28 is held thereby in anupright position on the opposite side of a dead center from the lock dog30 where said lever is out of the way and may be easily reached andmanipulated. When the lever 28 is thus held the pawl 25 and lock dog 30are held thereby in inoperative positions.

To operate the jaw 10 and thereby produce cutting action by the knives 8and 9, the lever 28 is oscillated to actuate the pawl 25 and therebycause the same to successively engage the ratchet teeth and lift thelever extension 18. During the lifting movement of the lever extension18 by the pawl the dog is gravity-held for action on the ratchet teeth20 and holds said lever extension while the pawl 25 is being moved toengage the next following ratchet tooth 20.

To more positively move the gravity-held lock dog 80 for action on theratchet teeth 20 the control bar 34: is swung forward into its dottedline position, see Fig. 4, and in which position its shoulder 35 is inengagement with the stud 31 and holds said bar against further pivotalmovement beyond a dead center on the same side with the lock dog 30. Inthis position of the control bar 84 the weight thereof produces ayielding lever action on the lock dog 30 toward the I ratchet teeth 20.

From the above description it is evident that the pawl 25 and lock dog30 are operated and controlled without the use of springs; that verylittle machine work on the device is required during its manufacture;that said device is of relatively light-weight so that the same may beeasily handled and transported from one place to the other; and that thedevice is easily and convenient to operate.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a

frame, a jaw pivoted to the frame, cooperating cutting knives on theframe and jaw, means for operating the jaw to produce cutting actionincluding ratchet teeth and a cooperating lever-actuated pawl, a lockdog,

and a control for the lock dog constructed and arranged when set in oneposition to yieldingly hold the lock dog for action on the ratchet teethand when set in another position to hold the lock dog inoperative, saidpawl being under strain to move into operative relation. with theratchet teeth, the relative arrangement of the pawl and lock dog beingsuch that the lock dog when moved to an inoperative positionautomatically moves the pawl into a like position and thus holds thesame.

2. In a device of the class described, a frame, a jaw pivoted to theframe, cooperating cutting knives on the frame and jaw,

in means for operating the jaw to produce cutting action includingratchet teeth and a cooperating lever-actuated pawl, a pivoted lock dog,a control bar pivoted to the lock dog for swinging movement in thedirection of its pivotal movement, and a latch for securing the controlbar in a position in which it holds the lock dog inoperative, saidcontrol bar being movable into another position in which it engages arelatively fixed stop and produces a lever-like action on the look dogto yieldingly hold the same under the fiction of gravity for action onthe ratchet teet 3. In a device of the class described, a frame, and ajaw pivoted to the frame, cooperating knives on the frame and jaw, meansfor operating the aw to produce cutting action including ratchet teeth,an operating lever fulcrumed on the frame and a pawl pivoted to thelever eccentric to its fulcrum for movement to and from action on theratchet teeth, a lock dog pivoted to the frame for movement to and fromaction on the ratchet teeth, stop means for limiting the movement of thelock dog away from the ratchet teeth, a control bar pivoted to the lockdog for swinging movement in the direction of its swinging movement, anda latch for connecting the control bar to the lever, said lever whenconnected to the control bar by the latch being held thereby in anupright position on the opposite side of a dead center from the lockdog, whereby the tendency of the lever to swing away from the lock dogunder the action of gravity holds the lock dog in an inoperativeposition against said stop means.

at. The structure defined in claim 3 which the control bar is movableabout the axis of its pivot into engagement with a relatively fixed stopwhich positions said bar on the same side of a dead center with the lockdog and in which it produces a leverlike action on thelock dog toyieldingly hold the same for action on the ratchet teeth.

5. The structure defined in claim 3 in which the pawl is between thelever and lock dog, said lock dog being constructed and arranged whenmoved by the lever into an inoperative position to engage the pawl andmove the same therewith into a like position.

6. The structure defined in claim 3 in which the pawl is between thelever and lock dog, said lock dog being constructed and arranged whenmoved by the lever into an inoperative position to engage the pawl andmove the same therewith into a like position, said pawl beingconstructed and arranged to move by gravity into action on the ratchetteeth when the lock dog is moved into a like position.

7. In a device of the class described comprising a frame, a pivoted jawon the frame having a lever extension, operating means for oscillatingthe lever extension, cooperating cutting knives on the frame and aw, andan adjustable abutment on the frame with which the lever extension hasrubbing contact during oscillatory movement to hold the same and preventangular movement of the cutting knife on the jaw in respect to thecutting knife on the frame during cutting action.

In testimony whereof I alfix my si nature.

REID A. EDWA .DS.

